The Biden administration does not plan to “lock in” the United States in the face of a potential new winter wave of COVID-19, executive spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday, on the eve of a speech very expected from Joe Biden.
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The American president, who is to address the Americans on Tuesday about the Omicron variant, will not announce “the confinement of the country”, she said during her daily press briefing, but will rather emphasize the benefits of vaccination .
He will also announce new “measures” to “increase access to screening” for COVID-19, and will hammer home “the risks faced by unvaccinated individuals”.
The Omicron variant, which should quickly surpass Delta in the United States according to health authorities, risks plunging the country into a new wave amplified by the end of the year holidays and weather conditions conducive to indoor gatherings.
White House adviser on the health crisis, Dr Anthony Fauci, on Sunday announced “difficult weeks or months as we approach winter.”
The United States is the most bereaved country in the world in absolute terms, with more than 807,000 deaths from COVID-19.